Palliative Care in Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors

Abstract

Introduction: Early palliative care interventions and structured advance care planning can improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with a brain tumor. In this study, we aimed to investigate symptoms, hospital discharge conditions, and the length of stay of patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors in our palliative care center (PCC). Material and Method: Ninety-one patients; who had been followed-up in the PCC with the diagnosis of a primary or metastatic brain tumor were included in this retrospective study. Demographic characteristics, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores, hospital discharge status, and symptoms of the patients included in the study were compared. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.67 years; 59.3% were male, and the mean length of hospital stay was 29.26 days. The rates of PEG, tracheostomy, seizures, and paresis symptoms were significantly higher in patients with a primary brain tumor (p<0.05). The rates of death in the hospital were significantly higher in patients with metastatic tumors and low GCS scores (p=0.032 and p=0.00, respectively). Conclusion: We observed differences in clinical findings and prognoses between primary and metastatic brain tumor patients during the follow-up in PCC. Further to advances in treatment methods, we believe that identifying the need for palliative care and appropriate symptom management will improve the quality of life in brain tumor patients with poor prognosis.